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Pomegranate juice: A cure for prostate cancer?
By Mayo Clinic staffOriginal Article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pomegranate-juice/AN01477
- With Mayo Clinic urologist
Erik P. Castle, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Erik P. Castle, M.D.
Erik P. Castle, M.D.
Dr. Erik Castle is a board-certified urologist who joined the Mayo Clinic staff in Arizona in 2007.
Dr. Castle is an associate professor of urology at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and a senior associate consultant in the Department of Urology, where he also is assistant residency coordinator.
He was an assistant professor in the Department of Urology at Tulane University in New Orleans from 2004 to 2006 after serving as a clinical instructor/fellow at Mayo Clinic in Arizona for one year.
Dr. Castle's research interests include prostate cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer. He is the director of the Desert Mountain Prostate Cancer Research Fund and is the principal investigator of Castle labs housed at the Samuel C. Johnson Medical Research Building at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. His basic science research is focused on novel secondary hormonal therapies of prostate cancer as well as genomics of prostate and bladder cancers.
His surgical expertise includes laparoscopic urology, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with nerve sparing, robot-assisted radical cystectomy with neobladder, robot-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, robot-assisted partial nephrectomy and other robotic urologic oncology procedures. He has performed many of these procedures as demonstrations internationally. He is a member of the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Urological Association, the Endourological Society, and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. He is past president of the international Society of Urologic Robotic Surgery. He is also the director of the international laparoscopic nephrectomy courses throughout Mexico on behalf of the American Urologic Association.
Risk factors (2)
- Vasectomy: Does it increase my risk of prostate cancer?
- Flaxseed: Does it affect risk of prostate cancer?
Tests and diagnosis (1)
- Prostate cancer: Does PSA level affect prognosis?
Complications (1)
- Prostate cancer metastasis: Where does prostate cancer spread?
Treatments and drugs (3)
- Prostate cancer brachytherapy: Can I pass radiation to others?
- Prostate cancer treatment: Does initial treatment preclude others later?
- Ginger for nausea: Does it work?
Alternative medicine (1)
- Pomegranate juice: A cure for prostate cancer?
Prevention (1)
- Frequent sex: Does it protect against prostate cancer?
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Question
Pomegranate juice: A cure for prostate cancer?
Is it true that pomegranate juice may slow the growth of prostate cancer? How much should I drink?
Answer
from Erik P. Castle, M.D.
Some research suggests that drinking pomegranate juice may slow the progression of prostate cancer. For example, in a study of men with recurrent prostate cancer and rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, researchers found that taking pomegranate juice extract significantly slowed the rate at which PSA was rising (PSA doubling time). A longer PSA doubling time can indicate that the cancer may be progressing less rapidly.
But this study did not use a control or placebo group. Nor did it measure overall survival.
Another study found that the length of time it took for PSA to double after surgery or radiation for prostate cancer was significantly longer in men who drank 8 ounces (237 milliliters) of pomegranate juice daily for up to two years. Other studies have found that certain compounds in pomegranate juice inhibited growth of prostate cancer cells in the laboratory.
Although these results are encouraging, they're only preliminary. Several additional clinical trials are underway, and it's too early to say if pomegranate juice can definitely slow the growth of prostate cancer. It's also unclear whether drinking pomegranate juice alters the course of prostate cancer overall so that men live longer or better.
If you choose to drink pomegranate juice, talk with your doctor first. Although pomegranate juice is generally safe, there is evidence that it may affect how your body processes certain prescription medications. Those medications include the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin) and some drugs used to treat high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Next questionFrequent sex: Does it protect against prostate cancer?
- Pomegranate. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed April 5, 2013.
- Klempner SJ, et al. Complementary and alternative medicines in prostate cancer: From bench to bedside? Oncologist. 2012;16:830.
- Paller CJ, et al. A randomized phase II study of pomegranate extract for men with rising PSA following initial therapy for localized prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases. 2013;16:50.
- Koyama S, et al. Pomegranate extract induces apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells by modulation of the IGF-IGFBP axis. Growth Hormone and IGF Research. 2010;20:55.
- Hong MY, et al. Pomegranate polyphenols down-regulate expression of androgen-synthesizing genes in human prostate cancer cells overexpressing the androgen receptor. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2008;19:848.
- Pantuck AJ, et al. Phase II study of pomegranate juice for men with rising prostate-specific antigen following surgery or radiation for prostate cancer. Clinical Cancer Research. 2006;12:4018.
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